By Chris V. Panganiban
Inquirer Mindanao Bureau
SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur— Authorities confiscated and disposed of about 630 kilograms of imported meat found noncompliant with meat-safety requirements during a joint enforcement operation on Wednesday in this town.
The operation was conducted by the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) in Caraga and the San Francisco municipal government in support of meat safety and consumer protection.
Mayor Grace Carmel Paredes-Bravo announced the operation on her Facebook page, saying the confiscated products were disposed of in accordance with established procedures.
“This collaborative effort demonstrates the continuing commitment of NMIS Caraga and the LGU of San Francisco to ensuring that only safe, wholesome and properly handled meat and meat products reach consumers,” Bravo said.
The operation came amid complaints from meat vendors and hog raisers in Kidapawan City, Cotabato, about the effect of imported pork on the local industry.
Narcisa Carbon, president of the Kidapawan Mega Market Meat Vendors Association, told the city council that about 45,000 kilograms of imported pork had been entering the city monthly in recent months, according to a report by Williamor A. Magbanua , Correspondent of Inquirer Mindanao Bureau
Carbon said imported pork was sold at around P250 per kilogram, compared with about P300 per kilogram for locally produced meat. Its lower price reportedly attracted restaurants, supermarkets and malls, reducing sales among local vendors.
Some vendors had reduced the number of pigs they slaughtered from three every other day to only one because of declining demand, the Inquirer report said.
The Kidapawan complaints focused on the economic effect of imported pork on local vendors and hog raisers. They were separate from the San Francisco enforcement operation, and the report did not link the products sold in Kidapawan to the meat confiscated in Agusan del Sur.
###
